


Top Dog

by thefantastickatinator



Category: Original Work
Genre: Dogs, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-11
Updated: 2017-12-11
Packaged: 2019-02-13 11:11:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12982803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thefantastickatinator/pseuds/thefantastickatinator
Summary: Ziggy is a border collie just trying to live her life and enjoy her new apartment with her girlfriend. Unfortunately, that just isn't possible when her best friend is an extremely desirable Finnish Spitz. Ziggy decides that the only way to get rid of her friend's pursuers is to enter a local competition, having no idea what's in store.





	Top Dog

**Author's Note:**

> Dogs exist as their own autonomous beings in this universe without humans. Everything else is pretty much the same.

My day brightened when I saw my best friend and favorite Finnish Spitz, Jewel. As soon as she spotted me, she bounded right over and licked my forehead in greeting. I hadn’t seen her since the beginning summer, and now the leaves were beginning to fall. Distance hadn’t weakened our close bond.

“Hi, Ziggy! How are you? How’s Lady?” she asked, once we finished greeting each other.

“She’s great,” I replied, “We just finished moving in together and I’m really excited we’ve taken this next step.”

“That’s wonderful! I have been busy working on training the new pups; they’re just so rowdy! They are really sweet, though. You should visit sometime,” she said.

“I’d love too,” I replied, before noticing something I wish I hadn’t: my least favorite canine.

“Oh, great. It’s Mr. ‘I’m Too Cool for You’,” I grumbled; Jewel glanced up and stiffened. 

Our neighborhood rich stud sauntered up to us, his pure white coat glistening in the sunlight.

“My Jewel, have you finally come to your senses and realized that we are the perfect match?” he said, sidling far to close to her.

Jewel shifted away from him. “Ice, I’m really not interested in a mate right now,” she said. 

“How can you say that when we’re destined to be?” he said, stepping close to her again. 

“How can you be so arrogant that you don’t even realize when you’re being rejected?” I snarled.

Ice huffed and took a step back. He appraised me warily for a moment and then decided that I wasn’t a threat. His mistake. Most dogs knew better than to ignore me. I let a soft growl build in my throat until Ice’s ear flicked. Then I stared directly into his eyes, daring him to challenge me. He got the message. Ice yawned.

“Feeling nervous?” I said smugly.

Ice feigned ignorance and said, “Have you heard about the specialty challenge opening next weekend?”

“We’ve seen the posters,” Jewel said neutrally. 

“I only mention it because I want you to watch me compete. It will be the best way for me to show you that I am the ideal mate for you. That idiot Razor won’t stand a chance,” Ice said.

“Are you sure this isn’t about you and your so-called rival having a pissing contest? There’s a fire hydrant right over there; it’d be a lot easier than competing in the specialty challenge,” I interjected.

“Scoff all you want, Zigzag, but I will win this challenge,” Ice assured me. 

“I’d like to see you try. I’m going to enter too. Let’s see how you match up to a real agility dog,” I said, challenging him with my gaze.

Ice scoffed and shook out his coat. He trotted off without a backward glance, his cronies following behind. Jewel and I watched them go in silence. When they finally disappeared, I turned to look at Jewel. Her fur stood on end. It took several minutes for it to flatten and for Jewel to fully relax.

“So, what are you thinking?” I asked.

Jewel paused for a moment before saying, “I don’t know. I don’t like what he’s doing, but he seems to really care about me. I’m just not interested in him.”

“Well I’m going to enter the contest and prove to that entitled husky that he can’t get whatever he wants. There’s no way I’ll let him win. I promise that, Jewel,” I said.

“Thanks, Ziggy.”

“Now let’s go get some lunch. I’m starving.”

When I finally got home, Lady greeted me at the door. She nuzzled my neck and I luxuriated in the feeling. Even though I enjoyed spending all day with my best friend, I missed her presence. Lady chose to concentrate on getting settled in our new place. I appreciated that. I had no interest in organizing or decorating. At the end of the day, I just wanted to relax with my favorite dog.

“How was your day?” she asked.

“What a drag. I loved spending time with Jewel, but we ran into Ice. I’m so tired of him,” I complained.

“Ice? Don’t tell me he bothered you? I’ll kick his ass!” she said. 

“Sweetie, he’s twice as big as you,” I reminded her.

“He’s nearly the same size as you, and I have no problem taking him down,” she said, staring me down.

“Aw, but he isn’t weak to you like I am.”

“He couldn’t take me if he tried.”

“Well, I think I’ve finally found a way to make sure he never bothers Jewel again.”

“Really? Does it involve maiming?” she said, bouncing up and down.

“Sorry, no. But it will take care of Razor too.” 

“What is it?”

“There’s a competition next weekend. I think if I beat them both, it will humiliate them enough that they’ll think twice,” I told her.

“Sounds like a great idea, count me in!” she said, looking up to me with shining eyes.

This was going to be fun.

It was, in fact, not much fun at all. I spent the next week training. As much as I enjoyed agility and all other canine sports, spending days doing nothing but practicing wore on my patience. A large part of me wanted nothing more than to cuddle with my darling sheepdog, but I knew that I had to defend my friend from those so-called “studs”. I had no room for errors. I knew I was more in shape than both Razor and Ice, and a great deal smarter, but I only had this contest to prove it. Thankfully, Lady took on my coaching with ease. She made sure I never slacked and focused only on the goal. By Friday, I was in top form, ready to win the contest and put Ice and Razor to shame. 

When I entered the arena with Lady, Jewel, and our good friend Diesel, I noticed Ice and his posse immediately. Fluffy, his number one fan, fawned all over him while Cosmo laughed nearby. Clifford, the final member of Ice’s posse, was nowhere to be found. He was probably causing trouble somewhere else. 

I turned away to ignore him, but the excitement had just begun. The stadium filled with howling and barking. I looked over to see Razor bounding in with his dumb friends. They tumbled all over each other: Biscuit the Jack Russell terrier, Boomer the bulldog, Powder the Pomeranian, and their Doberman leader. Razor and his two main lackeys headed straight to us; Powder disappeared. Razor bypassed me to stand uncomfortably close to Jewel. 

“Hey baby, how’s it hanging?” he said, leaning into her personal bubble.

Jewel sidestepped and said, “I’m doing well. Are you excited for the competition?”

“More excited to see my favorite fluff ball at the arena,” he said.

I sighed. “Do you have something valuable to add, or are you just here to hit on my friend?” I asked sardonically. 

“I never miss a chance to charm some sweeties, but I’m most looking forward to competing with my buddy Icicle and you, little spitfire,” he said, turning to loom over me. 

“I’m looking forward to crushing you in the dust,” I said coolly. 

“See ya later, Zig. Wish me luck, sweetheart,” he said before trotting off. 

Biscuit snarled at us before following after him.

“He didn’t even notice I was right there! I’m gonna kick his ass,” Lady said, quivering with rage.

“You’re not competing, remember? And if you try to fight him, you’ll get us all kicked out,” I reminded her. 

“Fine. Let’s get you ready for the challenges. We’re all supporting you,” Lady said.

“Hey, I’ve got to go deal with some things before the competition, do you mind if I run off for a while?” Jewel asked, already straining to go.

I had no idea what her problem was. “Sure,” I said, and watched her trot away. 

I spent the next 20 minutes standing in the preparation area while Diesel checked me over to make sure I was in top shape. Lady stood by and reminded me of all the strategies I could use to win. I saw Cosmo brushing Ice’s sleek coat while Fluffy slobbered praise. Razor chatted loudly with Biscuit while Boomer inspected his fangs. I felt ready to burst out of my skin with anticipation when the loudspeaker crackled.

“Ladies and Gentledogs, welcome to the National Dog Proficiency Competition Qualifiers in Barking, UK. I am your host, Clifford. I may be small, but don’t underestimated my vast knowledge of canine fitness! Let’s introduce our esteemed judges. On the left is Butterfly, our freshman Papillon evaluator. This is her first competition. She is best known for her modeling career in London but is now interested in canine health and fitness. Our judge on the right is the well-known Irish setter athlete, Coco. Coco received various awards in competitions across the globe and has been assessing competitions for the past five years. Last but certainly not least, our senior judge, Sugar. She has been evaluating competitions for over ten years and she has a spotless record. Don’t let her name fool you, she is one tough poodle,” my least favorite schipperke boomed through the headset affixed to his lopsided ears. 

He continued, “And now, let’s welcome our competitors!”

The throng of competing dogs spilled out into the arena. The howling crowd washed over me, filling me with confidence. I would win this competition. I would take down those arrogant idiots and make sure they never bothered Jewel again. Now, I had to focus on the challenges ahead. 

“The first challenge our competitors face is Poodle’s Puzzle. I’m sure Sugar likes that! This puzzle involves figuring out a puzzle and retrieving the food item. Errors and time determine the rankings,” Clifford explained to the crowd.

The moderators ushered us into the waiting area. We were isolated from the puzzle to prevent cheating and released one at a time. I bounded right over to the puzzle once they released me. I quickly examined the puzzle. The designer crafted the puzzle to conceal the treat with scent blockers and offer numerous possible openings. I immediately noticed the odd shaped section and followed the indicators to the correct button. I pressed it and the door flipped open, revealing a sliver of beef jerky. I leapt forward and snapped up the treat quickly. The timer dinged. A roar came over the crowd, nearly deafening me. I trotted around a bit, showing off until the moderator ushered me off to the side. Lady nearly pounced on me when I met up with her.

“You did amazing! You’ve had the best time so far. I’m sure you’re going to win this,” she said.

“Thanks. There are still two challenges left. Have you seen Jewel?” I said, looking around. I saw no sign of her russet fur or curled tail. 

“No, actually. It’s just been Diesel and me. I’m sure she’s around here somewhere and hasn’t been able to find us yet,” she said. 

I barely paid any attention to the rest of competitors. I was too busy wondering where Jewel was to listen to the announcements. I barely glanced at the rankings, noting that I was at the top and Razor was third. Ice wasn’t even in the top ten. It didn’t look like he was going to win this competition. I guess puzzles weren’t his strong suit. I wiggled with excitement. The next challenge was agility. 

I never felt more powerful than when I ran through an agility course. This was where my true talents lied. When I stepped up to the starting line, I didn’t even hear the crowd. All I could focus on was the course. I flew through it; my feet barely touched the ground. I weaved through the poles like they didn’t exist. I finished the course in a flash, streaking through the final tunnel. I forgot how much I enjoyed the thrill of agility. All that training bored me, but the feeling of success made it all worth it. I knew without a doubt that I won this challenge by a landslide. The rankings confirmed my prediction when the judges released the scores. I sat at the top of the rankings again, with Ice in fifth place and Razor in 15th. Only one challenge remained.

I had to admit that hunting was not my strong suit. I found the whole thing a little distasteful. Who wanted to chase around animals and kill them when you could be doing something more fun and less violent? But Lady insisted that I practice. I knew I was proficient, but my skill level was far lower than in the other two competitions. If I made it into the top five, however, I should be a shoe-in for the win, especially considering my previous scores. I paced in the minutes before they released me into the arena. Diesel tried to calm me down, while Lady gave me a pep talk about beating the “studs”. By the time I entered the arena, I felt prepared. 

I caught the scent fairly quickly and began following it. They used a simulated mouse robot for us to catch. My speed and agility helped me catch it quickly, but I found it difficult to disable. I guess I didn’t have the killing instinct. I stepped out of the arena feeling a little disappointed. I still thought I would win, but I knew I could have done better. Lady recognized my expression immediately.

“Don’t worry so much, honey. You did so well in the other challenges, and you weren’t half bad in this one. I’m sure you’re going to win,” she said encouragingly.

“I know, but I should’ve been quicker to disable it. It cost me time,” I grumbled.

“Let’s see the rankings before you get all grumpy,” she said.

Within moments, the rankings appeared on the board. I got fifth place, which was within my margin of error. Neither Razor nor Ice was even in the top twenty. Nerves probably got to them and they flunked out. Now the judges were determining the final rankings. Soon I would know if I won. Lady pressed close to my side, offering support and encouragement. We waited for several minutes before Clifford stepped up to the podium.

He cleared his throat and said, “I will now announce the winners of the Qualifiers! Only the first place winner will have the opportunity to advance to the semifinals. After examining the results of each challenge and adding up the collective points, these are the final standings. In third place…”

“Get on with it!” Lady snapped, drowning out Clifford completely.

“…in second place is Ziggy the Border Collie!” Clifford announced.

I froze. How could I have ended up in second place? Who had beaten me? Why hadn’t I paid better attention to whom else was in the rankings?

Clifford continued, “And our finalist, Jewel the Finnish Spitz!” 

“What?” Lady exclaimed.

“How is that?” I said, stupefied.

“That explains why we couldn’t find her anywhere; she was competing,” Diesel muttered.

I turned to see Jewel trotting straight past me like I wasn’t even there. She padded up to the podium and hopped up on the block labeled ‘1st’. I followed and stood on the 2nd place spot. A German shepherd I didn’t recognize claimed third. 

“Let’s congratulate our winners! Jewel, our finalist, will advance to the semifinals, where she will compete with dogs from across the United Kingdom. Jewel, do you have a few words for us?” Clifford said, pushing the mike stand towards her.

Jewel stepped forward and said, “I am so happy and grateful to be here. I have been training for this event for over a year, and I am excited to attend the semifinals. I want to send out a special thank you to Razor and Ice, whose unbearable egos gave me the drive to become so exceptional that I could crush them. Even though there were some who thought that I couldn’t take care of myself and needed to be protected, I was able to prove today that I don’t need anyone’s help. I love all of you and all of my friends and I hope to have your support at the semi finals.”

The audience erupted into barking and howling. I turned and saw Razor and Ice whining pathetically off to the side. I was still in shock. I completely missed the medal ceremony, staring vacantly off into the distance while they draped a medal over my neck. After everything ended, Lady and Diesel came right over to me.

“I still can’t believe that she won, right under our noses,” Lady said.

“She didn’t say I word about it when I said I was competing. Is she really upset with me?” I said dejectedly. 

“Maybe you should find out,” Diesel suggested.

I immediately raced off to find Jewel. I discovered her chatting with the judges, who all seemed very impressed with her. I walked right over, nearly pushing past them to get to her. Jewel startled when she saw me, and eyed me nervously. I looked her straight in the eye. 

“I’m sorry, but I need to speak to Ziggy for a moment. Do you mind if I slip away for a little while? I’d love to speak with you more about my performance and your thoughts,” Jewel said to the judges. They all murmured their agreement. 

She indicated that we should talk in the corner. I followed her.

“So, are you here to yell at me for hiding this from you?” she asked, resigned.

“No! I just want to understand. Why did you hide this from me?” I said.

“You were just so confident and assured. You thought that I was too timid and you had to take care of me. You just thought you would win, even though you had no real understanding of the competition and started training a week ago. I’ve been training for over a year!” Jewel said, nearly snarling at me.

I sat down in shock. “I’m sorry, I had no idea that you were training for this! You seemed so uncomfortable and unwilling to cause conflict, so I thought that if I won, I could get them to back off of you. I would have supported you completely if I knew. By the way, who did you have training you?” I said.

“Clifford and Powder helped me.”

“How? Why?”

“I discovered their secret relationship. Since Razor and Ice are rivals, they can’t really be together. I helped them hide it. Turns out that Clifford is a really good coach, and Powder knows a lot about grooming.”

“What. The. Hell. Is this Romeo and Juliet?” 

“They’re really so sweet with each other. They’ve helped me a lot.”

“I’m glad,” I said, “And I’m happy that you won. Maybe Lady and I can help you out? We could coach you. Offer support. Diesel would love to cheer you on.”

“Sure, absolutely. Maybe next year we could be real competitors, if you train for more than a week,” Jewel said.

“Maybe so. Did you see Razor and Ice? They were crushed. It was hilarious!”

“I did. I never felt so satisfied.”

“Maybe it’ll finally end their rivalry. It will be the start of a new bromance.”

We dissolved into howls of laughter. I was so proud that my best friend had achieved something so great. She was going to go far, and I would support her all the way to the finals. 

The End

**Author's Note:**

> Characters and Breeds:
> 
> Ziggy - Border Collie
> 
> Lady - Shetland Sheepdog
> 
> Jewel - Finnish Spitz
> 
> Diesel - Boston Terrier
> 
> Ice - Siberian Husky
> 
> Fluffy - Chihuahua 
> 
> Cosmo - Pug
> 
> Clifford - Schipperke 
> 
> Razor - Doberman Pincer
> 
> Boomer - Bulldog
> 
> Biscuit - Jack Russell Terrier
> 
> Powder - Pomeranian 
> 
> Butterfly - Papillon
> 
> Sugar - Poodle
> 
> Coco - Irish Setter


End file.
